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NEW TAZEWELL – It didn’t take long to find out what kind of high school baseball player Joseph Houser was going to be. Only one pitch to be exact.

In his very first plate appearance as a Claiborne Bulldog in his freshman year, Houser took the offering to the plate out of the yard to dead center for a homer and that set the tone for what has been an outstanding career. All the success Houser has had has earned him the right to keep playing as he signed to continue his academic and athletic career at Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky.

“In the scrimmage before that game, I was off to kind of a rough start as I had trouble seeing pitches,” Houser said when recalling his maiden voyage as a player four years ago. “The pitcher was throwing a lot of strikes so I just figured I needed to go up there and swing and let it rip and I made really good contact.” What Houser started four seasons ago has blossomed as he gets things done on the mound and at the plate. He is currently batting .343 for the Bulldogs with two doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs to go along with his 2.70 overall earned run average.

“I really loved the coaches at Alice Lloyd,” Houser said of his decision to join the Eagles’ program. “They gave me a great tour of the campus and their facilities are fantastic for a smaller school.” The Bulldog standout is expected to play at third base for the school in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. “Their third baseman is a senior so I might have a chance to play as a freshman. I have to work on playing at third and I have been playing there this season after shifting from first base. I want to get better at third and learn situations there. Throughout this summer, I’d say I will see tougher pitching and that will help prepare me for the college game.”

Houser knows a lot about facing top-notch pitching. In a game earlier this season, he had a home run off Grainger’s Brady Smith who is one of the best players at any school at any level in Tennessee. He said that facing the kind of dominating pitching he saw from the Virginia Tech signee is something that he will have to get used to at the next level. “At the plate, I will have to work on the off-speed stuff like Brady’s slider because it comes out of his hands better than almost all high school pitchers. I will have to concentrate on seeing collegiate-level off-speed pitches and recognize those as well as fastballs.”

Not only is Houser a great baseball player, he is also a tremendous student as he carries as perfect 4.0 grade point average at Claiborne High School as well as at Walters State where he is a dual enrollment student. Claiborne head coach Stephen Foster said his senior standout is the total package. “Over the past several years, Joe has been a tremendous asset for us as a four-year starter. Even as a freshman, I would have put him up as one of the best first basemen in the state but Joe is so athletic, I felt like we were wasting his talent at first base but because we didn’t have a lot of players, it was what we had to do. He is so good at getting outs on bad throws, making adjustments and getting into position to make the tag. Aside from baseball, his character and his level-headedness is huge as he never gets negative and he has never said anything bad about other players, he always has good morale.”

“Joe and several others have been the life of the team,” Foster said. “This is by far the best group I have ever had.” Houser’s versatility will be an asset at the collegiate level Foster said. “He is such a well-rounded player, he could fit just about anywhere. I don’t know if you could find a better first baseman, he has played so well for us at third and Joe can play in the outfield as good as anybody. He is a natural corner player and is a hitter so Alice Lloyd will find a place for him.”